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Lots of chatter in my feed this week on #TTRPG pricing. I've often heard that a free game drags everyone else down, or isn't valued by customers. I'll counter with my experience: free plus paid offerings is a totally viable approach for the right product.
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That free TTRPG would need to be differentiated by perceived quality. Hopefully most people aren't looking at it and saying "yeah, free is the right price." Instead, you want people talking about how it SHOULDN'T be free. You want them outraged 
You also need easy onramps for folks to support the game via good quality print versions or paid supplements. Maybe something like a Patreon could encourage support (I haven't tried it), but I don't think it'd be as successful as an easier buy-in.
Of course there's the not-so-mundane issues of making a game that's good. That fills a need. That fosters a community. None of that is easy. I worked for two years on my game, which is by no means perfect. And then there is luck, which is a fickle thing.
And a free game is probably not an option if you made investments in art, layout, editing, etc. Don't roll the dice on that. Make a plan to recoup your costs and reward your time. I was mostly a one-person crew, so I had flexibility. My expenses (outside of time) were <$1500.
Was making Ironsworn a free game the right choice? It's difficult to me to say whether it would have been more financially successful as a paid product. I suspect not. I DO know that the experience would not have been as fulfilling. Not by an order of magnitude.
And I guess that's my point. Despite being a VERY small market, you can't apply definitive standards. It's a diverse community of hobbyists, pros, and gamers. Some would say we're all passing around the same 10 bucks, but I think there's room for new products and innovation.
For creators, love what you make. Price it in the way that best rewards your work and let's you make the next awesome thing. If you're a gamer, support the stuff you love. Look especially to the amazing work that marginalized creators are doing. Spread the word.
